Arts Council Collection
Encyclopedia
The Arts Council Collection is the largest loan collection of modern and contemporary
British
art in the world. With presently over 7500 works of art spanning more than sixty years, the Collection can be seen in exhibitions and displays at home and abroad, as well as through long-term loans to public buildings across the UK.
The Collection, which was formed in 1946, includes works by major British artists of the twentieth century and continues to acquire innovative and significant work by emerging artists today. It maintains a policy of adventurous and timely acquisitions, responding rapidly to developments in artistic practice. The collection is managed by a Curator while purchases are advised by a panel of artists and experts whose membership lasts for two years.
The Arts Council Collection is managed by the Hayward Gallery
, South Bank Centre
on behalf of Arts Council England
and is based at the Hayward Gallery
in London
and at Longside
, Yorkshire Sculpture Park
. As a collection ‘without walls’, it has no permanent gallery; however, changing displays of sculpture, video and installations from the Arts Council Collection are regularly on view at Longside Gallery. Survey exhibitions from the Collection have been held at the Hayward Gallery
entitled 'British Art 1940-80' and 'How to Improve the World: 60 Years of British Art'.
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
art in the world. With presently over 7500 works of art spanning more than sixty years, the Collection can be seen in exhibitions and displays at home and abroad, as well as through long-term loans to public buildings across the UK.
The Collection, which was formed in 1946, includes works by major British artists of the twentieth century and continues to acquire innovative and significant work by emerging artists today. It maintains a policy of adventurous and timely acquisitions, responding rapidly to developments in artistic practice. The collection is managed by a Curator while purchases are advised by a panel of artists and experts whose membership lasts for two years.
The Arts Council Collection is managed by the Hayward Gallery
Hayward Gallery
The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre, part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames, in central London, England. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings and also the Royal National Theatre and British Film Institute...
, South Bank Centre
South Bank Centre
Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, UK, on the South Bank of the River Thames between County Hall and Waterloo Bridge. It comprises three main buildings , and is Europe’s largest centre for the arts. It attracts more than three million visitors annually...
on behalf of Arts Council England
Arts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
and is based at the Hayward Gallery
Hayward Gallery
The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre, part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames, in central London, England. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings and also the Royal National Theatre and British Film Institute...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and at Longside
Longside
Longside is a village located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies seven miles inland from Peterhead and two miles from Mintlaw on the A950. Its population in 2001 was 721. The River Ugie flows through it...
, Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park in West Bretton, Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England is an open-air gallery showing work by UK and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth...
. As a collection ‘without walls’, it has no permanent gallery; however, changing displays of sculpture, video and installations from the Arts Council Collection are regularly on view at Longside Gallery. Survey exhibitions from the Collection have been held at the Hayward Gallery
Hayward Gallery
The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre, part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames, in central London, England. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings and also the Royal National Theatre and British Film Institute...
entitled 'British Art 1940-80' and 'How to Improve the World: 60 Years of British Art'.